People with CF who are LIVING, BREATHING and SUCCEEDING at 30+ may be very involved in their careers, climbing the corporate ladder and working on a relationship. Marriage, buying a home and starting a family are also common undertakings for people with CF, as they are living longer and benefiting from a better quality of life due to advances in therapies.

During their 30’s, CF patients may be doing more IV antibiotic therapies, more chest airway clearance therapies, looking into getting a Mediport to make things easier, maintaining their health through exercise and compliance, and coming up with clever ways to manage all of this while socializing.

If you are one of the many people LIVING, BREATHING and SUCCEEDING with CF, we want to hear from you! Show the world what you have done!Click here to submit your story. All applicants will receive a CLUB CF t-shirt.

I was born and raised in Missouri, and diagnosed with CF at 3 months old. Now, I am almost a year post double-lung transplant – my life has gone through an enormous change. Although I was always fairly healthy before my transplant, my new lungs have given me the opportunity to really get into the gym and become an athlete. Exercising now plays a huge role in my life. I feel stronger from my daily trips to the gym in which I lift weights and focus on cardio workouts. Something that I am very proud of is that I was able to finish a sprint-triathlon only eight months after transplant. One day I hope to compete in an Ironman. I would also love to do the 65 mile, 65 Roses, bike ride one day. Riding my bike is definitely one of my favorite hobbies.

I have made quite a few sacrifices to maintain my health. Cystic fibrosis certainly is an added weight when it comes to my relationships with family and friends, but I know I have to give up social time so I can keep doing the things that I love. CF is a time consuming disease. Despite having CF, I do think I am very outgoing and I love spending time with my family and friends, there is nothing better.

People should have faith in modern medicine!

My favorite color is Pink.
I have visited Hawaii in the past; I want to go back someday.
Christmas is my favorite holiday.
I love Chinese food.
My favorite movie is Legally Blonde.
Soccer is my favorite sport.

I have dealt with CF pretty much since the beginning. I was diagnosed at 18 months, and grew up in the San Francisco, Bay Area. My mom basically threw me in the pool at 5 years old, and that’s really when I found my love for swimming. That was also when we first saw the impact that exercise can have for CF patients, I didn’t cough once that night after first being in the pool. A few years later, I got into competitive swimming and have been competing ever since. At first, I won many races and was very successful at a lot of my meets. Later in life, though, I felt that my lungs were holding me back from achieving my true potential as a swimmer.

Although exercise and swimming were a huge part of my life, I found that my treatments were always the difference maker. Because of this mentality, I was able to complete my undergraduate degree in four years and then my master’s in three years, both of which in counseling psychology at Santa Clara University.
After I completed school, though, my health seemed to deteriorate pretty rapidly. Four years after graduating with my Master’s, I was listed for transplant and underwent a successful double-lung transplant in November 2010. Since transplant, I have found that exercise makes a huge difference in daily life. I can definitely tell the days apart when I do and do not work out.

Some of my greatest accomplishments have come after transplant. I got back in the pool and started swimming competitively again. I have competed in the Transplant Games of America and have won five gold medals. I also took part in the World Transplant Games in South Africa and won two gold’s and one silver, plus a bronze in a relay event. My new lungs have given me the opportunity to swim freely, something I am truly grateful for.

My favorite color is purple

I love cheeseburgers

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I received my lungs and a new lease on life two days before Thanksgiving in 2010.

My favorite movie has to be the Princess Bride.

Michael Phelps has always been an icon for me.

One word that describes me is certainly, perseverance.

If I could give one piece of advice to a newly diagnosed CF patient, I would tell him or her to NEVER GIVE UP!

I have been dealing with CF really since birth. I was diagnosed when I was just 1. I grew up in Philly and ended up studying mechanical engineering at Drexel University. I have since packed up and moved to San Francisco, then to San Diego for a complete change in scenery. San Diego offers me the opportunity to go snorkeling, which has become a great passion of mine. Snorkeling is a great method of airway clearance and allows me to thrive in a salty environment, plus I get the chance to see some really great sights beneath the ocean surface. I really hope to get the chance to take this passion to the Great Barrier off the coast of Australia. I would definitely consider that a goal of mine.
Growing up, I did struggle a bit with being totally outward with cystic fibrosis, especially finding the time and effort to fully and effectively complete my daily PT. The vest made things much easier for me just over 10 years ago as it has helped me get through my relatively normal CF treatment routine twice per day, every day. Regular exercise, like snorkeling, swimming, lifting weights and even walking has helped me maintain my health. I do feel stronger and more confident because of my active life. All of this has really helped me continue to work as an engineer, something I am very proud of.

My favorite color is Dark Blue

I love Burmese samosa soup

My favorite holiday has to be my birthday

I love movies, I can’t pick a single one, my favorites include Star Wars, Fight Club and the Matrix

I, myself, am a drummer and was in a relatively successful band years ago in San Francisco, so music has had a large impact on my life. My favorite bands are Radiohead, Tool, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Massive Attack and Pink Floyd

I grew up and still live in Kashmir, India – a place where a CF diagnosis is extremely uncommon. When I was younger, I was misdiagnosed a number of times with everything from asthma to tuberculosis. When I was finally correctly diagnosed with CF at the age of 22, I had already developed severe bilateral bronchiectasis.

In spite of my reoccurring illness and with the support of my family, I was able to complete my education and become a physiotherapist. I am grateful every single day to my parents for providing me with all the support possible, even though they do not completely understand my disease.

Today, I exercise regularly to stay healthy and am motivated to remain committed to my treatments and physical health by my responsibilities to my family, my wife and child, and by my passion for my career and goals. I refuse to be a mute spectator to CF.

“Even though I am still very private and do not tell many people about my CF, I am happy to share my story and hope it can positively affect at least one person’s hope of having children.”

I am an extremely private person, and for most of my life, I kept my cystic fibrosis diagnosis a secret because I did not want my friends to treat me differently. I was sneaky about taking my medications, and if seen, I would tell friends they simply aided digestion or even throw them away. In my youth, I did not fully understand how important my medication was.

In spite of CF, I have generally lived a normal life. I played soccer, cross country, and track during high school, and have continued running and began playing hockey. My proudest athletic moment was in 1999, when I placed fourth in Division 1 Ohio 4x800 meter relay at 7:55.6 – which is still a school record! As I get older, I have to work harder and harder to stay active, but I am determined to stay healthy.

My wife and I recently became the parents of healthy, beautiful twins, a boy and a girl, after a difficult series of genetic tests and a testicular harvest. They were born at 32 weeks and 4 days. We are excited for our focus to shift to the kids and for our family to grow by two.

Even though I am still very private and do not tell many people about my CF, I am happy to share my story and hope it can positively affect at least one person’s hope of having children.

Things I Love: Running, cars, hockey and making improvements around the house
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Chinese
Favorite TV Shows: Burn Notice and Psych
Favorite Sport: Football
Dream Vacation: Somewhere warm and beachy
One Word to Describe Me: Competitive
Advice to People With CF: I would encourage them to never give themselves excuses and to push themselves every day